Jonesville
Politics
Commissioners make changes atop Northern Regional Board of Trustees
Last week the Surry County Board of Commissioners removed two long-time members of the Northern Regional Board of Trustees — Chairman Bill Woltz and Vice Chair Monty Venable. Chairman Van Tucker introduced a motion that passed unanimously to remove the pair, after a nearly two-hour long closed session. The board had moved from its regularly scheduled open session, held at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. Tucker said the...
LeCrone, Booker represent county at EMS Expo
The 32nd Annual Paramedic Competition was held in April at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro as part of the annual North Carolina EMS Expo. Surry County paramedics Josh Booker and Josh LeCrone were among the regional winners and competed in a timed real-life scenario that pitted their training, judgement, and professionalism against some of the best in their field. They advanced to the finals after winning their regional at...
Tom Gwyn remembered
The Elkin community is mourning the loss of former mayor Tom Gwyn who passed away on Friday at the age of 93. Gwyn was not born in Elkin but spent many years of his life serving the community in a variety of ways including a long tenure as mayor from 1981 to 2007. Gwyn and his wife Laura came to Elkin in 1957 after beginning their married life together in Poitiers, France. In addition to his 26 years as mayor of Elkin, Gwyn also served...
Farmers Markets open, Dobson doing business early
Surry County commissioners recently learned area farmers seem to be doing well — at least the ones growing and selling plants at local markets. Joseph Zalescik, who oversees the county farmer’s markets, gave an annual update to the board last week regarding the markets, including that the Dobson Farmers Market was opening early this year because those vendors had a lot of plants ready to go and were ready to get them to the public. ...
Yadkin Valley Festival toasts NC’s top wine region
ELKIN — The Yadkin Valley Wine Festival celebrates North Carolina’s premier wine region each spring with a day of wine, food, music and art. This year’s festival is set for Saturday, May 18, at Elkin Municipal Park and features 16 wineries from Yadkin Valley wine country. The park setting allows patrons to bring chairs or blankets and spend the afternoon relaxing in the sun or under shade trees. “It’s nice...
Elkin school board member steps down
One of Elkin’s newest school board members tendered his resignation during the board’s Monday meeting. During the public comment portion of Elkin City Schools Board of Education meeting, Johnny Blevins submitted his resignation — but there is no controversy in the move. Blevins, who was elected to the board in 2022, is leaving due to an upcoming move outside the school district. “I do thank you for the opportunity to...
Grant funds Recovery Coach training program
Surry County Office of Substance Abuse Recovery (SCOSAR) recently announced it will be offering a Recovery Coach Training program sponsored by the Surry County Recovery Friendly Workplace Program and a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems grant. “We are excited to offer a training series for professionals and community members based on the gold standard of Recovery Coach approved by the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery. Training is provided by SCOSAR staff as a partner,” the announcement read. ...
Camp Raven Knob turning 70
A certain “magic” surrounds Camp Raven Knob in Surry County, an area Boy Scout official said during a meeting this week when the camp’s 70th birthday was celebrated with the help of an 87-year-old scouter. Yes, it does boast 3,200 acres of forestland and facilities including 36 campsites; a lake for swimming, boating and fishing; a large dining hall; a climbing tower; a shooting sports area for archery, rifles and shotguns; a chapel; and more. ...
Land sale snagged on lingering questions
Surry County owns a piece of land at the corner of McMickle School Road and Haystack Road in Dobson that once housed a Head Start location. When YVEDDI determined there was no longer enough demand for Head Start in that area, they closed the location down which left the county-owned building vacant. The board of commissioners voted to surplus the land at a meeting last August. County Attorney Ed Woltz...
Surry County should be spared Cicada problems
This year marks the emergence of periodical cicadas. Two broods, one 13-year (XIX) and one 17-year (XIII) will emerge soon from underground nests across a large section of the Eastern United States. Fortunately, North Carolina will only experience Brood XIX, a.k.a., the Great Southern Brood. We have not seen these 13-year cicadas since 2011. Even better news, not all counties in North Carolina will see a cicada emergence. Based on historical data from the University of Connecticut, fewer than 20 North Carolina counties can expect...
Board opens checkbook to pay off jail construction
While inmates have been living in the new Surry County Detention Center since mid-December, there are still lingering bills for the construction work that need to be paid. Monday night the Surry County Board of Commissioners heard from Paul Luzier of Mosely Architects, Hank Reynolds from construction management firm H.G. Reynolds, and Surry County Public Works Director Jessica Montgomery, to understand what bills were outstanding and how the county needed to address them. ...
Historic house tours resume Saturday
The public has the chance to tour one of the oldest homes in the region this weekend, when an annual open house series resumes at the historic Edwards-Franklin House. This is a free event to be held from 1 to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday by the Surry County Historical Society, which owns the site at 4132 Haystack Road west of Mount Airy. A host will be on...
Central Middle Debate Team places second district debate competition
The Surry Central Middle School febate team took home second place in the district debate competition held at Piney Grove Baptist Church. “The CMS Hornets did exceptionally well in all categorizes but fell short of making the short list to go to the next level,” school officials said.
Four new Yadkin volunteers join Guardian ad Litem
Yadkin County Guardian ad Litem welcomes four more volunteers who have completed training and will provide a much-needed voice for local children in the foster care system. Sandy Higgs, Megan Cheek, Kelli Byrd, and Faith McCurry were sworn in on by District Court Judge Laura Luffman. They come from all corners of the county – from Yadkinville to Hamptonville to Jonesville. GAL Child Advocates give abused and neglected children in...
Renovations complete at Health Department
Since last May the Surry County Health and Nutrition Center has been undergoing extensive renovations to improve efficiency and create a welcoming atmosphere for all. Officials there recently announced that renovations have been completed and clinics will begin to move back to the ground floor of the Main Building. In order to complete the move, the Health and Nutrition Center announced the following closures of some offices on Thursday, May...
Elkin schools released from lockdown, no threat found
Elkin City Schools were put on lockdown for about 40 minutes Tuesday afternoon when a city resident reported a “suspicious” person near the high school. “Law enforcement responded immediately,” the school system posted on its Facebook page. Shortly after the lockdown, school officials posted that both the city’s high school and middle school had been placed on lockdown. While the elementary school was not initially included on the Facebook posting,...
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